Packard Forum Index » Pre-War (1899-1942)

Put it on Jackstands, pull the wheels off, chain / strap until just snug in that position. No need to compress further. The chain/strap is just there to prevent "rapid uncompressing" in the chance event all hell breaks loose.

Okay, thanks Kev. I had an overhead garage door spring break and go sqirrely on me years ago and just about lost a couple of fingers, so I have a healthy respect for the kinetic force stored in a compressed spring!!! Chris.

With the jack stand under the spring, it doesn't have quite the same leverage as it does when sitting on the tire so won't compress is much. It should be enough but a safety strap as suggested is a good idea.

Does anyone have good contact information for Five Points Classic Shocks that West mentioned? I found their website that has very minimal information. The phone number just goes to a recording so you can leave a message, but the mailbox is full and you can't leave a message. Then, they list an email address, but that just gets returned as undeliverable because the address is no longer valid. Are they still in business? I have found a lot of great reviews, but everything I've found is from 10+ years ago.

I used Apple Hydraulics for 1937 120 front shocks about 9 months ago. Good service and good work. Shocks now have about 4775 miles on them with no issues.

I agree with Apple. I called them, and they picked up the phone. When I told them what I had, he immediately knew the Delco Lovejoy part number of my shocks.

Interesting that Five Points seems to have gone out of business... or at the least, has dropped the ball.
The things I've heard about Apple recently, make me more confident that they have put their act back together. I know Mark Lambert was not a fan, and I told him what happened to me, and he said the exact same thing happened to him.

Thanks, I was planning on sending my shocks to Apple until I heard mention of Five Points. I decided I’d at least call them, but there doesn’t seem to be any way to reach anyone. If they are still in business, they aren’t doing much to get new customers.

Thanks Don, ...and thanks guys for the info on Apple vs. Five Points. I was initially going to deal with Apple as they seemed to be the 'vendor of choice' from what I'd read on past posts, but then read the 'bad press' on them and thought I'd go the other way, but I didn't have any luck contacting Five Points either so I will ship mine to Apple and see what comes... Experiences with these vintage guys can be like going to a new restaurant: one bad meal and you don't go back - but it could just be the cook was having a bad day! LOL I am half-tempted to just order rebuilts from their inventory and pay the extra couple of hundred bucks core charges; that way if it all goes awry, I still have my old units to at least try somewhere else! Chris.

I had my shocks on my 1940 110 rebuilt by Apple Hydraulics this past winter. I had removed the front clip for extensive work which made it alot easier but I'm sure you can do it by removing the inner fenders.I had the car up on jack stands and all I needed to do was support the front hubs with another jackstand. I would number the bolt heads and take a picture before removing them as they are different lengths. I would also replace the rebound bumpers. Kanter and Max Merritt didn't have them but Bob's Packard Parts did. 717 341 8305 is the phone number. Apple wasn't cheap but I would recommend them. They do good work in a short turn around time.
Jim Long